St. Landry democrat., 1887-12-24
ONE frontier posts on the Western plains

some frontier posts on the Western plains |
have often spent less agreeable holiday.
Nor were our bOreal beasts of burden, the
dogs to 90 without their share of the good
cheer, and told the Eskimo that | would
feed mine, some thirty in number, AM it
would look we'll if they would Go the same
for theirs, which they agreed to do. Mine
got an extra feast that day, while they timed
theirs that Christmas would fall as a regu-
lar feeding time; for it should be remem-
bered that the Eskimo dogs here are only
fed every other day at the most, and much
oftener only every third day. Their best
food consists of strips of walrus hide al inch
thick, an inch wide, and from eight to ten
inches long-abOut the size Of hickory
Ratchet handle and fully as tough. After
the dog has swallowed haIfa dozen of these it
is no wonder that he can 80 for two or three
days without anything more to eat; and it
really looks as if such a Christmas present
ought to last until the next christmas, or the
Fourth of July, at least 1t is the favOrite
food for sledge journeys, having the greatest
amount OF concentration III it of any known
food, thus lasting longer; while it has another
conspicuous advantage that by taking it
alOngin large slabs the dogs teeth can make
no impression on it, if they steal it they
swallow it whole when cut in strips) and
thus it is safe from their raids on the store
tgioo (snoW house, in the night time. [Once
on sledge-j journey | had the dogs keep us
awake by scratching to get at the edibles in
the store house, when the irate dog-driver
arose, took slab out of the place, and with
rZS that sounded lilo mild r,o1ar
profanity, threw it among the dogs, that
closed in on it with a rush. They might as
well have charged sheet of boiler plate
iron, and the dog-driver chucked as he re-
tired again and curled up under the reindeer
robes and listened to the growing dogs try
ing to tear the tough hide to pieces. Next
morning it was gone and thought the dogs
had miraculousy managed to devour it, I'M
til TOoloOah showed me a trail where wolf
had dragged it away, and he had another
good laugh, thinking how the Captor would
get a breakfast out of 1t. The wolf probably
starved to death over it.
Sure enough, Christmas came. and with it
the Eskimo. We distributed slight presents
among them. the men getting powder. caps
and balls the women, gloves, needles, Thin
DANS anu NI4tip JtHtIiN NIICll lIit tlllIulSll
also got. The presents were a surprise to
them. and true TO their generous nature the
next day they got up a sort Of Eskimo Christ
mas and deugcd us with presents of rein
deer and muSk-ox hams, walrus and seal
fippers reindeer clothing walrus tusks, and
all the boreal brio brac that would take
column TO enumerate. The feast was soon
steWing and the air so hot from the steam
and many breaths that the roof threatened
to fall in but as roofing material was cheaper
than dinners we propped it up, cut ventilat
ing holes, and went ahead.
Long and lovingly they fingered over this
part of the white mans Christmas and
when they were through the only regret
they expressed was as to their inability to get
down on their hands and knees comfortably
in order to crawl out the little snow house
door, and they babe lis "Good-bve' affection
ately. giving lavish expressions Of enjoy
ment and with an earnest inquiry as to
when Christmas wouId come again they dis
appeared. FREDERICK SCHWATKA.